


Valor

by Perilous_Grey



Series: RoyEd OTPoly Prompt Fills [3]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Drachma, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Not nearly as depressing as it sounds, Post-Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Snow and Ice, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:54:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26540965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Perilous_Grey/pseuds/Perilous_Grey
Summary: Moonlight made Roy near ethereal in the washed out landscape, a splash of inky hair against pale features, dark eyes glittering like the stars above them. His breath visibly fogged the air between them as scant as it was, a mere foot of pristine snowfall that felt like miles.“This isn’t what I wanted for you.”
Relationships: Edward Elric/Roy Mustang
Series: RoyEd OTPoly Prompt Fills [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1828396
Comments: 5
Kudos: 44
Collections: RoyEd OTPoly 2020





	Valor

**Author's Note:**

> Editing is for people who didn't wait until the last literal minute before a deadline.
> 
> Prompt fill for RoyEdOTPoly.
> 
> Position name: Briggs  
> Property name: War  
> Base level word count: 548-936

He was starting to understand why Roy’s unit hated the desert.

That it’s an icy barren wasteland in the middle of winter with heaps of luminous, blinding snow instead of coarse, gritty sand this time made little difference to Ed. The sun was still blinding, the wind still howled through the dunes of unfettered snow, his automail still ached with a furious twinge, and it was still freezing after the sun went down, depriving this wasteland of its single guiding light.

War was hell no matter where it was fought.

Ed stood knee-deep in powdery snow, watching the last of the watery orange light fade behind the not-too-distant mountain tops while his mind wandered to thoughts of Alphonse and Winry, snuggled up in front of a fire somewhere far East in Resembool, warm and safe.

He tried not to picture them too often for fear of tarnishing the picturesque daydream with harsh reality.

Maybe it was time to send another letter...

The harsh crunch of snow under insulated boots reached his ears, drawing closer as the first pinpricks of bright starlight began to twinkle in the violet night sky, coming to a stop some distance behind him.

Silence reigned as the stars slowly pinwheeled overhead.

If something horrendous had happened that leisurely march would have been a furious clamor, maybe an urgent stamping if the intelligence scouts had returned with credible intel.

So Ed waited.

The words, when they ghosted to him, were wrapped in a familiar cadence.

“I’m sorry.”

Well _that_ was a red flag.

Ed whirled to face the silken voice, golden mane snapping like a trailing streamer in the bitter wind. “What the hell do you have to be sorry for?” 

Moonlight made Roy near ethereal in the washed out landscape, a splash of inky hair against pale features, dark eyes glittering like the stars above them. His breath visibly fogged the air between them as scant as it was, a mere foot of pristine snowfall that felt like miles.

“This isn’t what I wanted for you.”

Ed snorted. “Since when do I care about your wants?”

“Ed—”

“Save it, Roy. I know this isn’t what you wanted for any of us, let alone me.”

Roy slumped further into his off white parka, hands tucked firmly into deep pockets.

Ed felt the exhaustion that had made a home in his bones tug similarly at his frame, whispering in his ears to rest, close his eyes for just a few minutes, sink into the warm embrace that had become his lifeline.

He pushed it back with a slow inhale.

Roy hadn’t taken those final steps forward.

Ed huffed, reluctantly dragged his hands from their cozy pockets, and crossed to stand in front of the other man, shoving his hands into Roy’s own pockets and tangling their fingers.

Roy blinked, startled.

A kernel of fond amusement warmed his chest at the unguarded expression, tugging a small but genuine smile across his lips.

“Don’t be an idiot and overthink it. Save that brainpower for plotting us a path the hell out of this mess and to a future where we never have to be out here again — seriously, I might have lighter automail right now but the cold is still a bitch and half to deal with. How are you not constantly walking around with your hands on fire?”

That did the trick.

An incredulous smile slowly crept across Roy’s lips. “You’re something else Ed.”

Ed gently knocked his temple against Roy’s. “Well, one of us should be warm these days and since Winry hasn’t built in a heater yet it has to be you.”

Roy’s silent chuckle shook both of their frames and Ed hid his smile in Roy’s feather soft hair, silently cherishing the moment of reprieve.


End file.
